Page 128 - Vacation Country Travel Guide

Nome, Alaska
I am a firm believer in having a Bucket List, While at the Visitor Center we met Terry, a
whether it’s a chance to ride a San Francisco resident for over 30 years and retired pilot from
cable car, gondola in Venice, or red Jeep Bering Sea Aviation. A nice guy and very infor- by Mary Stephenson
Wrangler to explore Nome, Alaska. Half the fun mative, he said, “Hop in!” and gave us an after-
is getting there while the other half is a journey noon tour of Nome. He drove by a big mound
through sustainable Native culture, the history of metal balls weighing two pounds each. summer to work at the lodge. Her comment
of man and their darn machines, and Nature Placed in a huge revolving drum, the balls will is worth repeating, “This is where I bring my
that keeps us all grounded. I could not ask for a crush granite into gravel and sand, then dredg- soul to breathe.” When checking off items on
better travel companion than Lesley, a traveling es will sift out the gold. The by-product is used your Bucket List, AKAU Alaska Gold & Resort
nurse from Florida who was preparing for her for roads and construction. From this huge pile definitely has its advantages with an all-inclusive
third contract with a local hospital in Ketchikan, of balls, I kept a souvenir. 3 to 10 day get-away package. Open to day-
Alaska. By late fall, the Bering Sea will be completely trippers, just call in advance.
frozen over, so all boats and dredges are hauled When given a choice of three roads for a day
Mary & Lesley out of the water onto dry dock. Mining, fish and trip, we chose 85-mile Taylor/Kougarok Road
game, transportation and tourism are Nome’s because it promoted Pilgrim Hot Springs, billed
economic anchors. Announced in 2022, the as a “lush tree oasis with a unique past.” The
cruise ship industry will be developing Nome’s rainy day adventure made the highway’s clay
port for Arctic Ocean travel. surface slick and the last seven miles of the side
Nome has something for everyone. There is road were flooded with crater size potholes
great fishing and mountain ridges ideal for day only four-wheel drive vehicles could handle.
hikes or overnight camping. Birders will easily After three hours to drive about 60 miles, we
complete the Birders’ List with over 100 spe- were ready to soak in the very hot springs!
cies traveling ancient migration routes from as Pilgrim Hot Springs, listed on the National
far away as Europe, Asia, Africa and the Pacific Register of Historic Places, was called the
islands, plus those thrown off course by storms “Shangri-La of the North”, a recreation center
and high winds to breed the next generation. for miners attracted by its spa baths, saloon,
dance hall and roadhouse. Pack food, water,
Visiting Nome required some planning, swimsuit/towel and mosquito repellent; there
with a flight into Anchorage and an overnight are shared changing room and restrooms. The
stay, then a connection with an early flight property is gated, so park at the end of the
out on Alaska Airlines. A 75-minute flight with road and walk in the hearty three blocks to
a window seat offered majestic snowcapped the Host Station; admission is $10. Visitors are
mountains and treeless water-soaked tundra requested to obtain a no-fee recreational use
stretching to the Bering Sea. permit before going. You can get one at the
Our first stop was the Nome Visitor Center. Nome Visitors Center, the Aurora Inn, or from
There we met Leon, the go-to guy for activities Bering Straits Native Corporation offices.
and recommendations for our visit. I presented The Nome-Council Road will take you along
him with the newest edition of Travel Guide Fly shoreline to the ghost town of Solomon, where
Alaska Magazine, as Nome is showcased for Fly lies the “Last Train to Nowhere” and a ghost
and Drive travelers. Leon appreciated our gift town of broken dreams. In the early 1900s, this
of homebrewed Ketchikan coffee as he always spot saw a narrative of investors laying 35-mile
has a pot of hot coffee brewing for first arrivals. railroad tracks to link gold strikes with a Bering
Reservations were made at The Dredge No. Sea port. Train engines from New York City
7 Inn out one mile on Teller Road. Operated remain as a legacy between men, lust for gold
by a mining family with three generations of and machines mired in tundra.
Nome mining ties, we enjoyed the Nugget Wildlife offers grizzlies, black bear, caribou, The adventure isn’t complete until the Carrie
Suite antique furnishings, kitchen, Wi-Fi and M. McLain Memorial Museum and Katirvik
hot showers. That is where we rented our Jeep moose and muskoxen. Commonly seen, the Cultural Center, Anvil City Square and the
free-range muskoxen cross the highway or
Wrangler ‘Betsy’ who knew the road system Board of Trade Saloon, Nome’s oldest saloon
and always got us back to the barn safely. settle in one’s back yard. Mature bulls are about once owned by infamous lawman Wyatt Earp,
The legacy of Nome centers around gold, five feet high at the shoulder and weigh 600- are checked off our To Do List while in Nome.
and visitors will quickly adjust to its lifestyle as 800 pounds. One of them strolled in front of
dredging equipment abandoned for over 100 us and we were able to pull over and enjoy his
at-leisure crossing.
years blends with state-of-the-art engineering
set at the edge of town where tundra begins. We were invited up to AKAU Alaska Gold
Along the beach, every tide brings in gold & Resort, seven miles north of Nome by the
owners Betty, Tony and son Augie II. The lodge
flakes and seaworthy dredges with vacuum
hoses ride just beyond the breakwaters. offers cabins and bunkhouse accommodations
complete with restrooms and kitchenettes.
Hospitality includes the great room to gather
for a meal and plan the day’s activities of
fishing, hiking, ATVing, and of course panning
for gold. You keep whatever glitters! Lesley
was a natural, yielding a fair amount in only 45
minutes.
Betty mentioned their new employee Lisa
from Arizona was freezing this summer. What
a perfect opportunity to present her with a
pair of furry earmuffs, a gift from the outside
world via Mary and her sister Barbara. Invited
to a spaghetti lunch, we met Marsha from San
Diego. She looks forward to coming up every
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